Air-pumping apparatus.



J. J. B VERSON.

AIR PUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 3, 1911.

1,084,322, Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ZU/ 2* jfiwe M3 071 J. J. EVBRSON.

AIR PUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV.& 1911.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN J. EVERSON, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-PUMPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Jan. 18-, 19146 Application filed November 3, 1911. Serial No. castes.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. EvERsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newton, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Air-Pumping Apparatus, of which the following descri tion, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings repre senting like parts.

This invention relates to air-pumping apparatus and'pertains more particularly to vacuum creating devices suitable for use in portable vacuum cleaning devices or dust removing apparatus. It is highly desirable that such a device be extremely simple, and.

conqaach'and be provided with a large Volume per unit of capacity when inflated and very small clearances when deflated, and the moving parts must be light and strong and so designed that all pressures thereon are equalized and so arranged thattheweights of the moving parts shall cause no pounding or vibration to the associated parts and also cause the entire cleaning device to jump and pound on the floor. It is also desirable that the flexible parts of the pump or bellows be so designed that creases or folds cannot be formed so that all the flexion will be transferredthereto to more quickly wear the flexible member along the folds and creases and so cause leakage. ll contemplate a pump or bellows economical to manufacture and practically indestructible in its use by employing principles and design that will equalize the pressures therein, provide for the distribution offlexion equally to all parts of the bellows, and the complete in tlation and the complete deflation thereof, employinglow speeds therefor reduciru vibration, thus to obtain the full benefitof the capacity and etliciency of the bellows per unit of volume thereo ltn order to illustrate the principles of my invention l have shown in the accompanying drawings a single embodiment thereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1, is a central vertical section through a portable vacuum cleaner illustrating the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2, is a detail side elevation. of my invention, a portion of the view being broken away to show the driving mechanism. Fig. 3, is a plan viewof a portion of the frame supporting the driving means. Fig. 4, is a plan View of the bellows.

'lhe terms'employed herein to designate and describe the diderent parts, are used in the generic and descriptive sense and not for the purpose of limitation, as the latter will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, the numeral 1, designates the upper and 2 the lower section of a casing inclosing the operating mechanism of a portable vacuum cleaning apparatus employing my invention. In the interior of the casing 1 is a frame 3 to support the bellows 19, an electric motor 12 and the connecting mechanism therebetwecn. Said frame 3 comprises a hollow central upper portion 5, tubular side portions 6 and 7 connecting the upper portion 5 and a lower central portion 8 similar to the said 11 per portion. The passages within the ho low central portions 5 and 8 respectively and the tubular side portions 6 and 7 form a continuous air passage, as will be readil understood by referring to Fig. 1. Herein, addt tional solid parts 9 and 1d of the frame 3,

are provided to carry an electric motor 12 and the connecting driving mechanism to operate the bellows 19.

In order to overcome vibrations jumping or pounding of the vacuum cleaner casing on the floor, due to the reaction of the moving parts of the bellows being communicated to the casing as they are brought to restfor a reverse movement thereof, 1 pref erably provide a flexible and resilient member betweenthe section 1 of the casing and the frame 3, for the purpose of overcoming or checking the said vibrations or reaction on the said casing.

Herein the entire frame 3 is joined to the section 1 of'the casing, by a flexible and resilient tube 12. One end of the said tube which is preferably of rubber is inserted in the screw-threaded orifice in the upper central portion 5 of the frame and is expanded therein and held in place by a metal band 13. The other end of the tube 12 is inserted into the screw-threaded central bore of a shouldered'bushing 14 and said tube isexpanded therein and held thereto by a metal band 15. -Washers of leather or the like are placed over the bushing 14 and rest on the shoulder 16 thereof, The bushing 14 is passed through an orifice centrally of the section 1 and is screw-threaded on the outside thereof to a handle 17 provided with an air outlet passage 60. Thus vertical movement of any nature is first communicated to the tube 12 which checks the said the other side is being inflated. The dia-' movement before it can be communicated to the casing.

The bellows 19 is preferably of the multiple type with amovable diaphragm 20 interposed between the central upper portion 5 and the central lower portion 8 so that as the diaphragm 20 is moved up and down one side of the bellows will be deflated while phragm is preferably composed of a thin, metallic circular top plate 21, a similar bottom plate each forced with the flexible material forming the bellows into a circular side plate 23 as will :be' more fully described hereinafter. 4

' Either thetdiaphragm 20 or the heads and may be movable.

Secured in any suitable manner to the upper portion 5 of the frame as for example herein by bolts or rivets 26 and 27, is a head 25, which also serves as a partition to form the interior chamber in the portion 5 of the frame and above the top section of the bellows 19. The head is 21 preferably circular in concentric series of a plurality of valve openings. One series or exhaust valves 29 open from the top bellows into the interior chamber of the central upper portion 5, and the other series or intake valves 33 open from the interior of the easing into the top bellows 19.

The exhaust valves comprise a plurality of valve openings 29 in a circle in the head 25 and a leather valve 30 is provided for each of said valve openings. Preferably a wire screen 81 is arranged over the leather valves 30 to limit the opening movement of the said valves when air is being forced out or exhausted from the top section of the bellows'through valve openings 29. The valves 30 are joined b a narrow strip of leather to a central portion 32 secured to the head 25 in any suitable manner. This construction of Valve leather allows each valve to rise and fall freely to properly seat againstthe openings and not draw one valve portion away from an adjacent valve opening 29 when the leather distorts under changes of atmospheric conditions as would be the case where a single piece of leather covers more than one of said valve Openings. The intake valve openings 33 are similarly arranged but are provided each with a separate valve leather 35 and a separate wire screen 36 for each valve and said valves and screens are arranged on the reverse side of the plate 25 from the valve leathers 30. Thus the valve openings 33 serve as intake and the valve openings 29 serve as exhaust valves-for the top Section of the bellows 1 9.

The plate 25 is portion with an upward convolution and a depending curved rim 28. To the extreme outer edge of the run 28, is secured the uplike the top plate form and has two phragm is pel the formed around its outer.

per edge of the flexible material forming the side 39 of the top section of the bellows 19.

The outer periphery of the rim 28 is provided with a circumferential groove 41 against which is laid the flexible side 39. The edge of the said flexible side is carefully smoothed over the groove 41 and a pair of semi-circumferential fasteners 40 comprising steel ribbons or wires are .drawn together and locked together forcing the flexible side into the groove 41. By using the fasteners 10 above described, the flexible side 39 may be partially clamped in the groove 41' and the material of which the said side is composed may be smoothed out and evenly distributed thereabout and the final tightening given to the fastener 4:0. Fasteners such as rivets or screws if inserted through the said flexible sides and into the rim 28' to secure the said side to the rim at points only produces a the sides are stretched the holes therethrough elongate causing leakage of air about the fastening. If the said rivets are shifted from one point to another to take up creases, after being first inserted through the said flexible sides, holes are left open through which leakage will occur.

Preferably I utilize semi-circumferential fastenings so that the same can be drawn equally from both sides to exert equal pressure on the flexible side 39 throughout the length of the groove 41.

The circular side plate23 of the diaformed to extend above the'top plate 21 and below the bottom plate 22 of the diaphragm and terminates above and below in outward curved rims 14 and 15 respectively. The flexible side material 39 of the top section of the bellows 19 is secured to the rim 28 as hereinbefore described and at the bottom said side is secured to the interior of the side plate 23 by swaging an annular groove 47 circumferentially of said plate and laying the said side material 39 across the said groove 17 and then forcing the top plate 21 into thesaid groove wedging the said side material 39 therein as shown in Fig- 1.

The flexible side material 39 of the lower section of the bellows 19 is secured to the side plate 9.3 in the groove 48 in the same manner as the hereinbefore described top section of the said bellows.

The outwardly curved rim 44 of the side plate 23 and out turned curved portion of the rim 28 are of appropriate contour and length so that as the diaphragm 20 is moved upward to deflate the top bellows and ex air therefrom, the flexible side 39 of the bellows rolls over the said curved rim and out turned curved portion. Thus in the operation of the bellows the curved hearing parts at at and 28 serve to retain said flexible side 39 at a constant and even tenvery Weak structure and asv sion. This construction also prevents the formation of folds and creases in the flexible side 39 of the bellows. During the inflation'of the top bellows the diaphragm 2O descends and the flexible side 39 unrolls from the said curved bearing parts at it and 28 and at the point of maximum inflation, said side will be in the same relative position as the corresponding side of the lower bellows shown in Fig. 1 bearing on the curved parts 51 and 52; It will be noted that thedi-aphragm 2G is of lesser diameter holding the i of the bellows, and the same result will be obtained than the rim 28 and fastener 40 outer edge of the flexible side 39 were the diameters of the rim 28 and the diaphragm 2O reversed and the said diaphragm the larger.

The lower bellows is a duplicate of the top bellows just described, having a head corresponding to the head 25 of the top bellows. Intake valves at 58-58 and exhaust valves 5T-57 are of similar construction to those of the top bellows hereinbefore described. It will be readily understood that the air expelled from the lower bellows through the valves 57, into the chamber of the part 8 of the frame and thence through the tubular side portions 6 and 7 into the chamber of the upper portion 5 and through the outlet passage (50. the casing through a lower inlet passage 61. and flows upwardly in the casing through dust collectors 64 and 65 and to the intake valves 3333 and 5858 of the bellows.

To reciprocate the diaphragm 20 a suitable electric motor 12 is preferably secured to the lower portions 9 and 10 of the frame by a pair of brackets li -11. Said motor is connected to any suitable source of electrical supply and rotates a pinion on the shaft thereof and said pinion meshes with a gear 71 which turns a horizontal shaft '72 journaled in bearings secured to the portion 9 of the frame. Cranks 7i and are provided at each end of the shaft 72 and said cranks are pivoted to links 7 7 and 78 connecting with a shaft 79 passing through the center of the diaphragm 20. Rotation of the motor and consequent r0- tation of the shaft 72 and the cranks 7i and 75 thereon move said links 77 and 78 in unison and reciprocate the diaphragm 20 up and down thus successively inflating and deflating both the top and lower bellows.

No vertical mechanical slides or guides are employed for the diaphragm 20 as the flexible sides of the top and lower bellows are always taut and hold the diaphragm yieldingly in position. Thus unguided the diaphragm Q0 practically floats between the heads 25 and 5 5 and will yield to allnatural pneumatic strains, will not be lbrced against mechanical guides producing excessive trio tien thereby to waste the energy given oil Air is drawn into by the motor and said guides also reduce the eiliciency of the bellows. The unguided diaphragin 20 is maintained in parallelism with the heads 25 and 55 and is adapted to equalize the pneumatic strains on the bellows which further assists in preventing creases and also assists in overcoming to a certain extent the reaction therefrom, to the frame and easing, of the said diaphragm at the beginning and the end of diaphragm movements or the reversals of movement thereof. This construction also occupies less space ,per unit of volume than bellows hereinbefore known in the art and greatly simplifies the mechanism and permits each bellows to be entirely deflated, thereby increas ing the efficiency thereof to a high degree.

13y reason oi the larger effective volume of my bellows I am enabled to utilize a longer stroke and to materially reduce the number and the velocity thereof, eliminating reactions and vibrations, reducing noise, wear, and tear on the bellows and all other operating parts, and I eliminate that riveting-hammer effect of other bellows that destroys floors and ceilings beneath the floors.

I have described herein one embodiment of my invention but it is to be understood that the latter is not essentially limited to the specific details of construction and or ganization of said embodiment, since the same may be varied without departing from the proper scope of the claims.

Claims:

1. An air pumping apparatus, comprising, a base, a movable diaphragm co-a cting therewith frusto-conimil flexible sides connecting said base and said diaphragm and coacting therewith to maintain substantially constant tension upon said flexible sides during inflation and deflation.

2. An air pumping apparatus, eomprising, a base, a movable diaphragm co-acting therewith flexible sides connecting said base and said diaphragm and rounded portions projecting from the peripheries of said base and said diaphragm movable therewith and cooperating with said flexible sides to maintain substantially constant tension upon said flexible sides during inflation and deflation.

3. An air ing, a. base and a movable diaphragm conch ing therewith, flexible sides connecting said base to said diaphragm, a rounded rim projecting from said baseand from said dia phragm and coaching with said flexible sides to guide said diaphragm during inflation and deflation.

d. In an air pumping apparatus, comprising, a base and movable diaphragm of relatively different area than said base and c0- acting therewith, frusto-conical flexible sides connecting said base and said diaphragm, a curved rim projecting both from said base pumping apparatus, comprisand from said diaphragm and adapted to engage the said flexible sides during inflation and deflation to maintain substantial constant tension upon said sides to guide said diaphragm.

5. In an air pumping apparatus, comprising, a base, a diaphragm movable toward and from said base and of a different area than the base and frusto-conical sides uniting the rim of said base and the rim of said diaphragm and co-acting therewith to guide said diaphragm.

6. An air pumping apparatus comprising a base, a diaphragm, movable toward and from said base and of a different area than said base, a flexible side of frusto-conical shape uniting said base and said diaphragm and secured to the relatively-opposed edges thereof and co-acting therewith to guide said diaphragm during inflation and deflation.

7 An air pumping apparatus comprising a base, a diaphragm movable toward and from the said base and of a different area than the said base frusto-conical flexible sides, uniting the opposite edges of said base and said diaphragm and rims projecting from said diaphragm and from said base to engage said flexible sides during inflation and deflation to prevent the folding of said sides.

8. An air-pumping apparatus comprising a stationary base, pumping and pump actuating means supported thereon, a casing inclosing the aforesaid members and a resilient tubular member connecting said'base to said casing to prevent the pump movements reacting on said casing. Y v

9. An air-pumping apparatus, comprising a stationary base, supporting pumping and pump actuating means therefor, air passages in said base, a casing inclosing the pumping and pump actuating means, and a resilient tubular member connecting said base to said casing to support said base and provide said air through the said resilient tubular member.

10. An air-pumping apparatus comprising a base, a head for said base, a'movable diaphragm cotiperating with said head, a rounded rim on said head projecting toward the diaphragm, a rounded rim on said diaphragm of different diameter than the'rim on the head and projecting toward said head and adapted to pass beyond the rim in both directions, and flexible sides connecting the rounded rim on said diaphragm and the rounded rim on said head, and adapted to wrap around said rounded portions to maintain said diaphragm central relative to said head.

ing, a casing, a frame, having a hollow central upper portion. 5'and a lower central portion 8, tubular side portions 6, and 7 conpassages with an outlet- 11. An air pumping apparatus compris necting the upper central portion 5. and the lower central portion 8, a head 25 for the central upper portion 5, a head for the lower central portion 8, a movable diaphragm 20 between said heads, outward curved rims on said heads projecting toward said diaphragm, outward curved rims on said diaphragm, flexible sides connecting each of said heads with the diaphragmfland adapted to roll over the aforesaid curved rims on each, grooves in said rims to secure the flexible sides thereto, a plurality of independent intake valves for both of said heads communicating with the interior of the casing and the top and lower bellows composed of the said heads, flexible sides, and diaphragm, a plurality of independent exhaust valves on each of said heads communicating with the top beliows'and the central upper portion 5 and communicating with the lower bellows and the lower central portion 8 respectively, a resilient tubular membericonnecting the central upper portion 5 of the frame to the casing and supplying an outlet passage from said central upper portion 5, a shafton said diaphragm, links on each side of said diaphragm and pivoted to said shaft, rotating crank. connected to said links, means to rotate said cranks, an inlet passage to said casing, and dust collectors between said inlet passage and the intake valves on said heads.

19. In an air-pumping apparatus, a base, a head for said base having rounded edges projecting toward the opposite head and each of said rounded'portions having a circumferential groove, a diaphragm of different area between said heads having rounded port-ions projecting toward said heads and having circumferential grooves about said rounded portions, said rounded portions being adapted to pass beyond the rounded portions on said heads in either direction, flexible side members connecting the rounded portions on said heads and diaphragm and semi-circumferential members to secure the edges of said flexible side members to the grooves in therounded portions of said heads and diaphragm.

13. In an air pumping apparatus a pair of separated bases, a diaphragm between said bases adapted to reciprocate therebe tween, said diaphragm being of difl'erent area than said bases, curved rims on said bases and curved rims on said diaphragm, the said rims on said diaphragm adapted to move beyond the lateral plane of the rims on said-bases, frusto-conical sides uniting said diaphragm and said rims and co-acting therewith to guide said diaphragm axially of said rims.

14;. In an air pumping apparatus a pair of stationary bases, a movable diaphragm located therebetween and of a different area than said bases, fi'usto-cenieal flexible sides name to this specification, in the presence uniting said bases and said diaplnagmto of two subscribingwitnesses. form thereby a double actin bellows, said sides being adapted to guide the said dia- JOHN LVERSON' pln-agin axially of said bases and to prevent Witnesses: lhe lateral movement of said diaphragm. Ammo H. GAROELON, In testimony whereof, I have signed my 1 R. D. H. EMERSON. 

